Novartis to open fourth US radioligand therapy plant

Novartis, a global medicines company headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, will build a 35,000-square-foot radioligand therapy (RLT) manufacturing facility in Winter Park, Florida. The company said the site is part of a $23 billion U.S. investment announced in April 2025 and will expand its RLT manufacturing footprint to improve delivery for patients in the southeastern U.S.

The new facility is expected to begin operations by 2029 and will complement Novartis’ existing RLT sites in California, Indiana, and New Jersey, the company said. It is expected to strengthen Novartis’ supply chain and help maintain a consistent administration rate of more than 99% of doses on the planned day, according to the announcement.

“Building this new facility in Florida marks an important step in fulfilling the promise of RLT for patients,” Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan said in a statement. “Radioligand therapy has fundamentally changed how we approach certain cancers, and our growing U.S. manufacturing network ensures we can continue to deliver these critical medicines with speed and reliability to patients who need them.”

RLT pairs tumor-targeting molecules with therapeutic radioisotopes to deliver radiation directly to tumors while minimizing impact on healthy tissue, the company said. Each dose is individually prepared, making proximity to treatment centers and transportation hubs critical for timely administration.

Novartis said Florida’s skilled workforce, supported by higher education investments in life sciences and technology, influenced the location of the facility.

The Winter Park site is the fourth of five planned U.S. RLT facilities. Novartis said it is also investing in expansions in Indiana and New Jersey, following the November completion of a California facility, with a fifth U.S. site planned.